1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system and method for capturing hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) and/or volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and then using naturally occurring micro-organisms to degrade those substances into non-hazardous byproducts, such as carbon dioxide and water.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Currently, various industries and manufacturing operations utilize processes that use and/or produce large volumes of HAPs and VOCs that typically end up as hazardous wastes that are released into the environment or stored in hazardous waste sites. Often, in order to comply with state and federal environmental regulations, some industries must either invest in the implementation of waste destroying/recycling equipment, pay for others to remove, destroy or recycle the hazardous wastes they produce, or pay considerable sums in fines or compensation fees for as long as they are producing those hazardous waste materials.
Some industries, such as the furniture manufacturing industry, by the very nature of the products or services they provide, cannot simply eliminate these hazardous waste producing processes or even find effective substitutes for such processes. For example, manufacturers of finished wood furniture use large quantities of varnishes, lacquers and other finishing substances that are petroleum hydrocarbon-based. These substances are often applied to furniture using large spray booths, wherein the excess of those substances are vapors that are simply ventilated out to the atmosphere using blowers. As one of skill in the art may note, only a fraction of the finishing substances sprayed onto the furniture in a spray booth actually remain on the furniture. Rather, a large percentage of those substances are eliminated as waste products. Alternatively, the application of materials as sprays in spray booths or other similar operations may result in the release of large quantities of propellants, additives, by-products and other substances in vapor form into the atmosphere. As a consequence, in the context of this example, not only can an industry be forced to comply or compensate for state and federal requirements are great cost, but also that industry can be producing large volumes of hazardous waste products without any potential for recovery or recycling of those waste products.
Therefore, there exists a need in the industry for a system that will effectively recover and recycle hazardous materials released into the atmosphere in vapor form, such as varnishes, lacquers and other finishing substances that are petroleum hydrocarbon-based, in order to avoid the unnecessary waste of those materials and the unneeded expulsion of HAPs/VOCs into the atmosphere.
There exists a further need in the industry for a system that will cost effectively recover and recycle hazardous materials, and that will satisfy federal and state requirements for preventing the expulsion of HAPs/VOCs into the atmosphere.